title: The effect of piracetam on the recurrent inhibition of motor neurones.
abstract: Piracetam as a nootropic agent is known to exert its effect by activating and protecting the neuronal cell functions. The mechanism, how piracetam acts, is still unknown. However, some experimental data point to the facilitating role of piracetam in the cholinergic synaptic transmission. According to the generally accepted fact that the recurrent inhibition of motoneurons occurs as a result of cholinergic activity, this model has been used in our experiments, which were performed on the spinal cord of decerebrated cats. The significant potentiation and prolonged duration of the recurrent inhibition following intravenous application of piracetam (100 mg/kg) obtained in our experiments, as well as the fact that atropine (1.0 mg/kg i.v.) antagonize this effect, offers the conclusive evidence of direct facilitatory action of piracetam in the cholinergic neurotransmission process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Medical Faculty Zagreb.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Geber
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cop
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cvitanović
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Anić
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bjegović
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000294:innervation; D008297:Male; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects*; D010889:Piracetam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012023:Reflex, Monosynaptic / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D010889:Piracetam